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Barking Spiders and Other Such Stuff
This is a delightful, funny, and honest collection that explores the sweet, naive and sometimes, scary world of a child. CJ Heck captures the delicate humor and innocent insights that children have about such things as the etiquette of passing gas to talking to your shadow, to thinking that your parents are giants, to riding a "broom" horse. The unique appeal of Barking Spiders is that each poem offers an assurance from someone who understands that children, like adults, wish to make sense of the world they live in ... and when it doesn't make sense? Well, that's okay, too.
- GenresPoetry
64 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 14, 2000
1 person is currently reading
108 people want to read
About the author
C.J. Heck
11 books133 followers CJ is a published poet, writer, and author of five books. She has three daughters, eleven grandchildren, and she lives with Author/Astrologer, Robert Cosmar, in Leesburg, Florida. CJ is also a Vietnam War widow.
https://catherinejheck.substack.com/
Children's Books:
Barking Spiders and Other Such Stuff
Barking Spiders 2, (the sequel)
Me Too! Preschool Poetry
Adult Books:
Bits and Pieces (collection of short and flash fiction)
Anatomy of a Poet
Blogs:
http://memoirsfromnam.blogspot.com
http://cjswriterthoughts.blogspot.com
http://knowingwhispers.blogspot.com
CJ's Other Links:
https://catherinejheck.substack.com/
https://www.quora.com/profile/C-J-Heck
https://www.facebook.com/CJHeckAuthor
http://amazon.com/author/cjheck
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/cj-heck/1...
http://twitter.com/CJHeck60
http://contributor.yahoo.com/user/151...
http://www.youtube.com/user/cjheck194...
Testimonials:
Anatomy of a Poet:
"This is my kind of poetry. Direct, beautifully expressed and without a hint of pretension." ~Allison Cassidy
"Too often poetry is written so abstractly that it leaves the reader with more questions about the point of the writing, rather than the insight, or inspiration. This is NOT true of CJ's poetic verses. The words are poignant, resonating feelings to the reader intended by the writer. Words from the heart that penetrate the soul!" ~Sharla Shultz
"I am not a poetry critic, so I cannot compare CJ's poetry with others, evaluate her mastery of language, or classify her to any particular school of poetry. Having read the poems, I felt something. The messages are clear and direct. She does not go through mental elaboration and the poetry touches the heart. Reading her poems made me feel nostalgic and longing at the same time, as if nostalgia and expectation are one and the same." ~Eleftheria Egel
"Wonderful, marvelous poetry that touches on the realities of life." ~Jack Henry Kraven
"CJ has a beautiful way of writing that obviously gets in touch with people and makes them think about what she is saying -- a very difficult skill to grasp." ~Lyrael Myrna.
"CJ Heck is predominately viewed as a writer for children, but she now carries over her approach to more adult themes. In doing so, she presents a profound world that is deeply sad, incredibly humorous and sometimes intimate." ~Joseph Daly
Children's Poetry:
"One of the most gifted children's poets I have ever read!" ~ Todd-Michael St. Pierre
"Every primary teachers dream come true. I have found that rhyming words are important for six year-olds when learning to spell and read. I love herr poetry! She never ceases to amaze me." ~Joyce Bowling
"A natural, spontaneous writer, who freely gives of her soul to her readers. She never fails to amuse and entertain with her brilliant and witty writes. A razor-sharp mind and acute awareness of what makes people tick, or tock." ~ Peter Paton
"Her work is not only brilliant, it is a joy to the spirit and restores youth to our hearts -- a gift for writing what kids think and feel." ~ E T Waldron
"CJ flies everyone away on daydreams and wishes, boo-boos and bats, frog legs and monkeys, and old circus clowns. I can't think of a single children's poet that has the ability to marry the children's poem with a life's lesson and keep it fun." ~Rusty Daily
https://catherinejheck.substack.com/
Children's Books:
Barking Spiders and Other Such Stuff
Barking Spiders 2, (the sequel)
Me Too! Preschool Poetry
Adult Books:
Bits and Pieces (collection of short and flash fiction)
Anatomy of a Poet
Blogs:
http://memoirsfromnam.blogspot.com
http://cjswriterthoughts.blogspot.com
http://knowingwhispers.blogspot.com
CJ's Other Links:
https://catherinejheck.substack.com/
https://www.quora.com/profile/C-J-Heck
https://www.facebook.com/CJHeckAuthor
http://amazon.com/author/cjheck
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/cj-heck/1...
http://twitter.com/CJHeck60
http://contributor.yahoo.com/user/151...
http://www.youtube.com/user/cjheck194...
Testimonials:
Anatomy of a Poet:
"This is my kind of poetry. Direct, beautifully expressed and without a hint of pretension." ~Allison Cassidy
"Too often poetry is written so abstractly that it leaves the reader with more questions about the point of the writing, rather than the insight, or inspiration. This is NOT true of CJ's poetic verses. The words are poignant, resonating feelings to the reader intended by the writer. Words from the heart that penetrate the soul!" ~Sharla Shultz
"I am not a poetry critic, so I cannot compare CJ's poetry with others, evaluate her mastery of language, or classify her to any particular school of poetry. Having read the poems, I felt something. The messages are clear and direct. She does not go through mental elaboration and the poetry touches the heart. Reading her poems made me feel nostalgic and longing at the same time, as if nostalgia and expectation are one and the same." ~Eleftheria Egel
"Wonderful, marvelous poetry that touches on the realities of life." ~Jack Henry Kraven
"CJ has a beautiful way of writing that obviously gets in touch with people and makes them think about what she is saying -- a very difficult skill to grasp." ~Lyrael Myrna.
"CJ Heck is predominately viewed as a writer for children, but she now carries over her approach to more adult themes. In doing so, she presents a profound world that is deeply sad, incredibly humorous and sometimes intimate." ~Joseph Daly
Children's Poetry:
"One of the most gifted children's poets I have ever read!" ~ Todd-Michael St. Pierre
"Every primary teachers dream come true. I have found that rhyming words are important for six year-olds when learning to spell and read. I love herr poetry! She never ceases to amaze me." ~Joyce Bowling
"A natural, spontaneous writer, who freely gives of her soul to her readers. She never fails to amuse and entertain with her brilliant and witty writes. A razor-sharp mind and acute awareness of what makes people tick, or tock." ~ Peter Paton
"Her work is not only brilliant, it is a joy to the spirit and restores youth to our hearts -- a gift for writing what kids think and feel." ~ E T Waldron
"CJ flies everyone away on daydreams and wishes, boo-boos and bats, frog legs and monkeys, and old circus clowns. I can't think of a single children's poet that has the ability to marry the children's poem with a life's lesson and keep it fun." ~Rusty Daily
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 22, 2013
Genre of this book is poetry, geared towards children of all ages. I gave this book five stars because of the variety of poems that are included in this book. Most include fantasy; however, some has a realistic tone due to the choice of words. I enjoy reading some of these poems, and I know most children will too.
June 8, 2013
This is a wonderful children's book of poetry. I have used it many times in my job working in the children's room of a library as a storyteller as well as reading it to my boys. Full of charming, whimsical and hilarious poems.
April 3, 2019
Barking Spiders is a collection of children's poetry by CJ Heck. The majority of the poems are silly and would easily resonate with elementary-aged students. With poems about tree houses, piggy banks, stinky feet and whistling, I would imagine this collection would delight young readers. The majority of the poems are written in an XAXA rhyme scheme, which would help young readers with phonemic awareness. It's simple organization (one poem per page) and larger font would also make this collection accessible to students with reading difficulties or resistance. Beyond the many silly poems are included several which address more difficult topics such as loss of loved ones, the less fortunate, and understanding disabilities. "Windows in Heaven" is particularly moving.
Because of the inclusion of some of these more challenging and potentially emotional topics, as an educator I don't think I would have this text available as an independent read in the early grades. I think the introduction of some of these ideas are best presented with the structured support of an adult, and an opportunity for guided discussion. I feel it would be appropriate for the older grades to read independently, however. This collection of poems would be wonderful for a read-aloud during a poetry unit and to introduce this particular rhyme scheme. Mr. Heck's choice of silly topics may prove inspiring to young poets and make choosing their own poem topics a bit more enjoyable, so it would be a great mentor text for a teacher to use at the beginning of each poetry-writing assignment/lesson.
Because of the inclusion of some of these more challenging and potentially emotional topics, as an educator I don't think I would have this text available as an independent read in the early grades. I think the introduction of some of these ideas are best presented with the structured support of an adult, and an opportunity for guided discussion. I feel it would be appropriate for the older grades to read independently, however. This collection of poems would be wonderful for a read-aloud during a poetry unit and to introduce this particular rhyme scheme. Mr. Heck's choice of silly topics may prove inspiring to young poets and make choosing their own poem topics a bit more enjoyable, so it would be a great mentor text for a teacher to use at the beginning of each poetry-writing assignment/lesson.
June 7, 2013
Read a Preview: http://www.goodreads.com/story/show/3...
December 19, 2018
Reading Level: 2.3
Book Summary: This book is so much fun. It is poetry that sounds like and seems like it is written with a child's brain. It's made up of topics and thoughts that may be what a child would think of, and it really helps you to see it through their eyes. I would recommend this book and think it would be good for children in a classroom setting as well.
Bookshelf Genre: Poetry
Characteristics to support the genre: Rhyme, Rhythm, shape, and Structure.
Bookshelf mentor traits:
*Organization - The organization of these poems is the typical organization you would find in poems with things including rhyming and structure. The best part is that they seem like a regular poem but they use words that you would never expect.
*Word Choice - The Word choice might be the best thing about this book, things such as "So, open all the windows! Crack the vents real fast! 'Cause these aren't normal spiders... Barking spiders are just gas." will definitely appeal to children.
*Ideas - I love the ideas used in this poetry and I think it is a good way to show that any ideas can be turned into writing.
Classroom Integration: I would use this type of book in my classroom as part of a poetry writing lesson, as I said above you can use this to show that you can take any idea and make it into a poem. Also, it can be used for general feel good reading and entertainment.
Book Summary: This book is so much fun. It is poetry that sounds like and seems like it is written with a child's brain. It's made up of topics and thoughts that may be what a child would think of, and it really helps you to see it through their eyes. I would recommend this book and think it would be good for children in a classroom setting as well.
Bookshelf Genre: Poetry
Characteristics to support the genre: Rhyme, Rhythm, shape, and Structure.
Bookshelf mentor traits:
*Organization - The organization of these poems is the typical organization you would find in poems with things including rhyming and structure. The best part is that they seem like a regular poem but they use words that you would never expect.
*Word Choice - The Word choice might be the best thing about this book, things such as "So, open all the windows! Crack the vents real fast! 'Cause these aren't normal spiders... Barking spiders are just gas." will definitely appeal to children.
*Ideas - I love the ideas used in this poetry and I think it is a good way to show that any ideas can be turned into writing.
Classroom Integration: I would use this type of book in my classroom as part of a poetry writing lesson, as I said above you can use this to show that you can take any idea and make it into a poem. Also, it can be used for general feel good reading and entertainment.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews